When the weather hots up the Dutch head for Zandvoort beach near Amsterdam
Zandvoort beach near Amsterdam is where the locals decamp to as soon as the sun comes out in the Dutch capital. The reason Zandvoort beach near Amsterdam is so popular, apart from the fact that it’s a nine-mile stretch of golden sand, is because it’s just 30 minutes on the train from Amsterdam Central Station (€5.30 each way). This makes Zandvoort beach near Amsterdam an easily accessible day trip from Amsterdam. Alternatively you could choose to stay overnight at the beach resort and combine a city and beach break, an Amsterdam hidden gem as sunbathing on the beach isn’t something you’d automatically associate with a visit to Holland.
Zandvoort beach near Amsterdam
To be honest having previously checked out a couple of Amsterdam’s urban beaches I wasn’t expecting much from Zandvoort beach near Amsterdam. I was proven wrong. True the town itself is a bit tacky. The centre of Zandvoort aan Zee has a couple of main streets filled with clothes shops, the obligatory bucket and spade shops (even the Hema there sells them), cafes and bars. Zandvoort reminded me a bit of Newquay in Devon or some other English seaside resort. But once I hit the beach it was a different story altogether.
Chilling out at one of Zanvoort’s beach bars
I couldn’t believe that Zandvoort beach near Amsterdam was in Holland. The sand was super soft under my feet and seemed endless. Sharps said he felt like we were on a proper holiday abroad (as in out of the city and on a beach type holiday). What was also great about Zandvoort beach near Amsterdam is that despite the mass influx of daytrippers from Amsterdam (our train was packed on the way out) its size means there’s plenty of space for everyone. I was surprised at how easy it was to find a relatively secluded spot to sit on the beach.
Who needs ice cream when you can have herring on the beach?!
Zandvoort beach near Amsterdam is great for families (there’s a Center Parcs too) but I also loved that it has a series of cool beach bars making it a great hotspot to hangout on a summer’s day. We stopped for lunch at Skyline 13, an Australian beach bar. Having seen the food at some of the other beach bars along the strip I knew we weren’t going to be talking haute cuisine but actually the food was pretty good, as was the service. I opted for a huge nacho salad (€10.50) with guacamole, spicy sauce, feta, lettuce and sour cream. Sharps decided on a BBQ chicken salad (€10.50) which was also massive so you could easily share a main dish between two. If you prefer to stay on the beach there are also various mobile food stalls dotted along the seafront selling fish, hotdogs, ice cream and cold drinks.
Lunch at the Skyline 13 Australian beach bar
After lunch we walked all the way along Zandvoort beach near Amsterdam until we got to Bloemendaal beach. We had planned to investigate the Zuid-Kennemerland National Park but we only got as far as one of the lookout points before deciding we’d be better off coming back another time with bikes to explore the park’s trails properly. We never actually got round to doing this though as next time we came back we headed down the beach in the opposite direction. After about half an hour the crowds started to disperse and we discovered another cluster of beach bars that had a much more chilled vibe.
Sunset at Zandvoort beach near amsterdam
Most of the daytrippers tend to stay at the bit of the beach close to the station by Skyline 13 so if you want to properly relax away from the crowds it’s worth the walk. And if you really want to feel free, there is also a nudist section of the beach in that direction. We stayed till sunset then reluctantly had to drag ourselves away to catch a late train back to Amsterdam. It felt like a romantic mini beach holiday. You won’t even need an excuse to visit Zandvoort beach near Amsterdam. It’s the perfect way to spend a sunny summer’s day in Holland.
